the Week of Proper 22 / Ordinary 27
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Acts 1:20
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Pete continued, "What Judas did was written in the Book of Psalms and says, 'Let his land be barren. Let no one make a home there.' It also says, 'Find a good cowboy to fill the gap.'
"For it is written in the book of Psalms,‘Let his residence be made desolate,And let no one dwell in it';and,‘Let another man take his office.'
"For it is written in the book of Psalms, 'LET HIS HOMESTEAD BE MADE DESOLATE, AND LET NO ONE DWELL IN IT'; and, 'LET ANOTHER MAN TAKE HIS OFFICE.'
For in the book of Psalms it says, Let his house be waste, and let no man be living in it: and, Let his position be taken by another.
For it is written in [the] book of Psalms, Let his homestead become desolate, and let there be no dweller in it; and, Let another take his overseership.
"For it is written in the book of Psalms: 'Let his dwelling place be desolate,And let no one live in it'; Psalms 69:25 ">[fn]
and,'Let Psalms 109:8 ">[fn] another take his office.' [fn]
"For it is written in the Book of Psalms: Let his dwelling become desolate; let no one live in it; and Let someone else take his position.
For it is written in the book of Psalms, 'Let his habitation be made desolate, Let no one dwell therein,' and, 'Let another take his office.'
For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and, His office let another take.
"For it is written in the Book of Psalms, "`Let his encampment be desolate: let there be no one to dwell there'; and "`His work let another take up.'
For it is written in the booke of Psalmes, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: And his Bishopricke let another take.
For it has been written in the scroll of Psalms, Let his estate become forsaken, and he not be living in it. And, "Let another take his overseership." LXX-Psa. 68:26; Psa. 108:8; MT-Psa. 69:25; Psa. 109:8
For it is wrytten in the boke of psalmes: His habitacion be voyde, and noman be dwellinge therin. And: His bisshoprike another take.
for it is written in the book of psalms , "let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein:" and "let another take possession of his charge."
"For in the book of Psalms it is written, 'LET HIS PLACE OF RESIDENCE BECOME DESOLATE, AND LET THERE BE NO ONE TO LIVE IN IT'; and [again], 'LET ANOTHER TAKE HIS POSITION AS OVERSEER.'
For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be made desolate, And let no man dwell therein: and, His office let another take.
For it is written in the book of Psalms, 'Let his habitation become desolate, and let there be no one to live in it'; and 'His office let another take.'
It is written in the boke of Psalmes: His habitacio be voyde and no man be dwellinge therin: and his bisshoprycke let another take.
For it is written in the book of Psalms, "Let his habitation be made desolate, And let no man dwell therein." And, "His office of oversight let another take."
For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell in it: and, His bishopric let another take.
for it hath been written in the book of Psalms: Let his lodging-place become desolate, and let no one be dwelling in it, and his oversight let another take.
"In the Book of Psalms," Peter said, "this is written: ‘May his place be empty; leave no one to live in it.' Psalm 69:25 And it is also written: ‘Let another man replace him as leader.' Psalm 109:8
"For it is written in the book of Psalms, ‘ Let his house become deserted, and let there be no one to live in it ,' and ‘ Let another take his position of responsibility .'
In the book of Psalms it says, "Leave his house empty, and don't let anyone live there." It also says, "Let someone else have his job."
"Now," said Kefa, "it is written in the book of Psalms, ‘Let his estate become desolate, let there be no one to live in it'; and ‘Let someone else take his place as a supervisor.'
"For it is written in the Book of Psalms, "‘May his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it'; and "‘Let another take his office.'
For it is written in the booke of Psalmes, Let his habitation be void, and let no man dwel therein: also, Let another take his charge.
For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no one dwell in it; and let his duty be taken by another man.
For it is written in the book of Tehillim, 'Let his habitation be made desolate, Let no one dwell therein,' and, 'Let another take his office.'
"For in the Book of Psalms it is written,Psalm 69:25; 109:8;">[xr] 'Let his estate be desolate, and let no one live on it,'Psalm 69:25">[fn] and 'Let someone else take over his office.'Psalm 109:8">[fn]
For it is written in the book of Psalms: Let his habitation be desert, And no inhabitant be therein, And his ministry let another take.
For it is written, in the book of Psalms: Let his habitation be desolate, and let no resident be in it; and let another take his service.
Peter continued, "This was written in the book of Psalms, where it says, ‘Let his home become desolate, with no one living in it.' It also says, ‘Let someone else take his position.'
For it is written in the Book of Psalms, ‘Let his place of living be empty and let no one live there,' and, ‘Let another person take over his work.'
For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be made desolate, And let no man dwell therein: and, His office let another take.
"For it is written in the book of Psalms, ‘Let his homestead become desolate, and let there be no one to live in it'; and ‘Let another take his position of overseer.'
For it is written in the book of Psalms: Let his encampment become desolate, and let there be none to dwell therein! And - his overseership, let a different man take!
For it is written in the book of Psalms: Let their habitation become desolate, and let there be none to dwell therein. And his bishopric let another take.
For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.
"For it is written in the book of Psalms, ‘Let his residence become deserted, and let there be no one to live in it,' and, ‘Let another person take his position.'
For it is written in ye booke of psalmes: Let his habitation be desert, and no man be dwellyng therein: And his bishopricke let another take.
Peter said, "In the book of Psalms, this is written about Judas: ‘People should not go near his land; no one should live there.' And it is also written: ‘Let another man have his work.'
"For it is written in the book of Psalms: 'MAY HIS RESIDENCE BE MADE DESOLATE, AND MAY THERE BE NONE LIVING IN IT'; and, 'MAY ANOTHER TAKE HIS OFFICE.'
"For it is written in the book of Psalms, ‘May his house become empty; may no one live in it.' It is also written, ‘May someone else take his place of service.'
And it is writun in the book of Salmes, The abitacioun of hem be maad desert, and be ther noon that dwelle in it, and an other take his bishopriche.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
in: Acts 13:33, Luke 20:42, Luke 24:44
Let his: Psalms 69:25, Psalms 109:9-15, Zechariah 5:3, Zechariah 5:4
his: Acts 1:25, Psalms 109:8
bishopric: or, office, or charge
Reciprocal: Leviticus 14:42 - General 1 Kings 2:35 - Zadok Job 5:3 - cursed Luke 19:26 - and from Philippians 1:1 - the bishops 1 Thessalonians 5:9 - not 1 Timothy 3:1 - the office
Cross-References
So God made the expanse and separated the waters beneath it from the waters above. And it was so.
And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to distinguish between the day and the night, and let them be signs to mark the seasons and days and years.
Then God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters of the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth."
And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, land crawlers, and wild animals according to their kinds." And it was so.
God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that crawls upon the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
And to every beast of the earth and every bird of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth-everything that has the breath of life in it-I have given every green plant for food." And it was so.
And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and He brought them to the man to see what he would name each one. And whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.
Bring out all the living creatures that are with you-birds, livestock, and everything that crawls upon the ground-so that they can spread out over the earth and be fruitful and multiply upon it."
He spoke of trees, from the cedar in Lebanon to the hyssop growing in the wall, and he taught about animals, birds, reptiles, and fish.
wild animals and all cattle, crawling creatures and flying birds,
Gill's Notes on the Bible
For it is written in the book of Psalms,.... In
Psalms 69:25. These are the words of Peter, citing the Scripture he had said must be fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost, by David, had spoke concerning Judas:
let his habitation be desolate. The Arabic and Ethiopic versions render it, "his city"; meaning, perhaps, the city of Jerusalem; and which afterwards did become desolate, and was utterly destroyed:
and let no man dwell therein; in his habitation. The psalm, out of which these words are cited, is a psalm concerning the Messiah, and there are many passages cited out of it in the New Testament, and applied to him, or referred unto; see John 2:17 compared with Psalms 69:4 and what the psalmist says of the enemies of the Messiah in general, is applied by the apostle to Judas in particular. In the Hebrew text, in Psalms 69:25 the words are in the plural number, "let their habitation be desolate, and let none dwell in their tents"; and refer to all the enemies of Christ, the chief priests, elders of the people, Scribes and Pharisees, who covenanted with Judas to give him so much money to betray Christ into their hands; and who delivered him to the Roman governor, by whom, at their instigation, he was crucified; and particularly may well be thought to include Judas, who betrayed him to them; and therefore are very fitly interpreted of him: though not to be understood to the exclusion of the others, whose house was to be left desolate, and was left desolate, as our Lord predicted, Matthew 23:38. The first word in the Hebrew text rendered "habitation", signifies a very magnificent dwelling; it is sometimes translated a "castle", Genesis 25:16 and sometimes a "palace", Cant. 8:9, Ezekiel 25:4 and it is interpreted by ארמון, "a palace", here, by several Jewish writers s; and so may intend the dwelling places of the richer sort of Christ's enemies, as the palaces of the high priest, and of the prince, or president of the sanhedrim, and the stately houses of the members of it, of the chief priests and elders of the people, and of the Scribes and Pharisees; all which became desolate at the destruction of Jerusalem: the other word, rendered "tents", may design the cottages of the meaner sort of people, who, with united voices, cried aloud for the crucifixion of Christ; and which also shared the same fate when Jerusalem was destroyed: now inasmuch as Judas was of the meaner sort, the apostle here makes use of a word which signifies but a poor and mean habitation, though it is sometimes used of grander ones, and which seems to answer to the latter; for as there are two words in the original text expressive of habitation, he might choose which he would, and did choose that which was most pertinent in the application of the passage to Judas. However, a Jew has no reason to find fault with this version, since the Targum renders both words by "habitation", thus;
let their habitation be desolate, and in their habitations let no one dwell: where Judas's habitation was is not certain; but that he might have one as well as the Apostle John, is not at all improbable, and from hence seems evident:
and his bishopric let another take; which passage stands in
Psalms 109:8 and is fitly applied to Judas, and was verified in him, who not only died a violent and infamous death, by which he was in consequence stripped of his office, as a bishop, or overseer; but another was to be put into it, invested with it, and exercise it; and therefore very pertinently does Peter produce it, his intention being to move the disciples to choose another in his room. These words are produced by the apostle, as if they were to be found in the same place with the preceding; whereas they stand in another psalm, as has been observed: and this is no unusual thing with the writers of the New Testament, to put several passages of Scripture together, as if they were in one place, when they are to be sought for in different places; an instance of this, among many, that might be mentioned, is in Romans 3:10 and this is a very common way of citing Scripture with the Jews. Surenhusius t has given a variety of instances, in proof of this, out of their writings, as in the margin u, which the learned reader may consult and compare at leisure. The psalm, out of which this passage is cited, is not to be understood of David literally, and of what he met with from his enemies, and of his imprecations upon them, either Doeg the Edomite, as Kimchi interprets it, or Ahithophel, as others, but of the Messiah, with whom the whole agrees; against whom the mouth of the wicked Jews, and particularly of the deceitful Pharisees, were opened; and against whom the false witnesses spoke with lying tongues; and who, all of them, compassed him with words of hatred to take away his life, and acted a most ungenerous and ungrateful part; opposed him without a cause, and became his enemies for his love showed to them, both to soul and body, preaching the Gospel, and healing diseases, Psalms 109:2. The poverty and distress he submitted to; the griefs and sorrows which he bore; the fatigues he underwent at his examination; and the weakness of body he was then reduced to, as well as the reproach cast upon him on the cross, when his enemies shook their heads at him, are in a very lively manner described, Psalms 109:22 and whereas one of his enemies particularly is singled out from the rest, what is said concerning him, by way of imprecation, suits with Judas, and had its accomplishment in him, Psalms 109:6 who had a wicked man set over him, as over the rest of the Jews, Pilate, the Roman governor, a very wicked man; and at whose right hand Satan stood, as one of his council, as Aben Ezra interprets it, and put it into his heart to betray his master, and prompted him to it, and then accused him of it, and brought him to black despair for it; and who, when this affair was brought home to his own conscience, and there arraigned for it, was convicted and self-condemned, as he also will be at the general judgment; and as he found no place of mercy then, whatever prayers or entreaties he might make, so neither will he hereafter: his days were but few, being cut off in the prime of them, as may be concluded from the many years which some of his fellow apostles lived after him; and his bishopric, or office, as an apostle, was taken by another, even by Matthias, who was chosen in his room, of which we have an account in the following part of this chapter; for this is to be understood neither of his money, nor of his wife, nor of his own soul committed to his trust, as some of the Jewish writers w explain it; but of his apostleship, with which he was invested by Christ. The word signifies an oversight, care, or charge; and so the Hebrew word פקודה is rendered in Numbers 3:32 and designs any office, as the office of the priests and Levites in the house of God; see Numbers 4:16. Jarchi interprets it here by גדולתו, "his greatness", or "dignity"; and explains it by the Spanish word "provostia", an office of honour and authority, as this of being an apostle of Christ was; than which, a greater external dignity could not be enjoyed in the church of God, in which he has set first apostles, 1 Corinthians 12:28. That this psalm refers to Judas Iscariot, and to his affair, was so clear a point with the ancients, that they used to call it the Iscariotic Psalm. I lay no stress upon the observation some have made, that thirty curses are contained in it, the number of the pieces of silver for which he betrayed his master, since this may be thought to be too curious.
s Kimchi & Sol. ben Melech in Psal. 69. 25. R. Nathan. Concordant. t Biblos Katallages, p. 45, 46. u T. Bab Roshhoshana, fol. 4. 2. Beracot, fol. 13. 1. Sabbat, fol. 20. 1. Maccot, fol. 13. 2. & 16. 1. Tanchuma, fol. 17. 1, 4. & 25. 1, 4. w Aben Ezra, Kimchi, & Sol. ben Melech in loc.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
For it is written ... - See Psalms 69:25. This is the prediction doubtless to which Peter refers in Acts 1:16. The intermediate passage in Acts 1:18-19, is probably a parenthesis; the words of Luke, not of Peter. So Calvin, Kuinoel, Olshausen, DeWette, and Hackett understand it. It is not probable that Peter would introduce a narrative like this, with which they were all familiar, in an address to the disciples. The Hebrew in the Psalm is, “Let their habitation (Hebrew: fold, enclosure for cattle; tower, or palace) be desolate, and let none dwell in their tents.” This quotation is not made literally from the Hebrew, nor from the Septuagint. The plural is changed to the singular, and there are some other slight variations. The Hebrew is, “Let there be no one dwelling in their tents.” The reference to the tents is omitted in the quotation. The term “habitation,” in the Psalm, means evidently the dwelling-place of the enemies of the writer of the Psalm. It is an image expressive of their overthrow and defeat by a just God: “Let their families be scattered, and the places where they have dwelt be without an inhabitant, as a reward for their crimes.”
If the Psalm was originally composed with reference to the Messiah and his sufferings, the expression here was not intended to denote Judas in particular, but one of his foes who was to meet the just punishment of rejecting, betraying, and murdering him. The change, therefore, which Peter made from the plural to the singular, and the application to Judas especially “as one of those enemies,” accords with the design of the Psalm, and is such a change as the circumstances of the case justified and required. It is an image, therefore, expressive of judgment and desolation coming upon his betrayer - an image to be literally fulfilled in relation to his habitation, drawn from the desolation when a man is driven from his home, and when his dwelling-place becomes tenantless. It is not a little remarkable that this Psalm is repeatedly quoted as referring to the Messiah: Psalms 69:9, “The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up,” expressly applied to Christ in John 2:17, John 2:21, “They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink” - the thing which was done to Jesus on the cross, Matthew 27:34.
The whole Psalm is expressive of deep sorrow of persecution, contempt, weeping, being forsaken, and is throughout applicable to the Messiah; with what is remarkable, not a single expression necessarily limited to David. It is not easy to ascertain whether the ancient Jews referred this Psalm to the Messiah. A part of the title to the Psalm in the Syriac version is, “It is called a prophecy concerning those things which Christ suffered, and concerning the casting away of the Jews.” The prophecy in Acts 1:25 is not to be understood of Judas alone, but of the enemies of the Messiah in general, of which Judas was one. On this principle the application to Judas of the passage by Peter is to be defended.
And his bishopric let another take - This is quoted from Psalms 109:8, “Let his days be few, and let another take his office.” This is called “a Psalm of David,” and is of the same class as Psalms 6:1-10; Psalms 22:0; Psalms 25:0; Psalms 38:0; Psalms 42:1-11; This class of Psalms is commonly supposed to have expressed David’s feelings in the calamitous times of the persecution by Saul, the rebellion of Absalom, etc. They are all also expressive of the condition of a suffering and persecuted Messiah, and many of them are applied to him in the New Testament. The general principle on which most of them are applicable is, not that David personated or typified the Messiah which is nowhere affirmed, and which can be true in no intelligible sense - but that he was placed in circumstances similar to the Messiah; was encompassed with like enemies; was persecuted in the same manner. They are expressive of high rank, office, dignity, and piety, cast down, waylaid, and encompassed with enemies.
In this way they express “general sentiments” as really applicable to the case of the Messiah as to David. They were placed in similar circumstances. The same help was needed. The same expressions would convey their feelings. The same treatment was proper for their enemies. On this principle it was that David deemed his enemy, whoever he was, unworthy of his office, and desired that it should be given to another. In like manner, Judas had rendered himself unworthy of his office, and there was the same propriety that it should be given to another. And as the office had now become vacant by the death of Judas, and according to one declaration in the Psalms, so, according to another, it was proper that it should be conferred on some other person. The word rendered “office” in the Psalm means the care, charge, business, oversight of anything. It is a word applicable to magistrates, whose care it is to see that the laws are executed; and to military men who have charge of an army, or a part of an army.
In Job 10:12 it is rendered “thy visitation.” In Numbers 4:16, “and to the office of Eleazar,” etc. In the case of David it refers to those who were entrusted with military or other offices who had treacherously perverted them to persecute and oppose him, and who had thus shown themselves unworthy of the office. The Greek word which is used here, ἐπισκοπὴν episkopēn, is taken from the Septuagint, and means the same thing as the Hebrew. It is well rendered in the margin “office, or charge.” It means charge or office in general, without in itself specifying of what kind. It is the concrete of the noun ἐπισκόπους episkopous, commonly translated “bishop,” and means his office, charge, or duty. That word means simply having the oversight of anything, and as applied to the officers of the New Testament, it denotes merely “their having charge of the affairs of the church,” without specifying the nature or the extent of their jurisdiction.
Hence, it is often interchanged with presbyter or elder, and denotes the discharge of the duties of the same office: Acts 20:28, “Take heed (presbyters or elders, Acts 20:17) to yourselves, and to all the flock over the which the Holy Spirit hath made you overseers” - ἐπισκόπους episkopous - bishops; Hebrews 12:15, “Looking diligently,” etc. - ἐπισκοποῦντες episkopountes; Philippians 1:1, “with the bishops and deacons”; “Paul called presbyters bishops, for they had at that time the same name” (Theodoret, as quoted by Sehleusner); 1 Peter 5:2, “Feed the flock of God (that is, you who are elders, or presbyters, 1 Peter 5:1), taking the oversight thereof” - ἐπισκοποῦντες episkopountes. These passages show that the term in the New Testament designates the supervision or care which was exercised over the church, by whomsoever performed, without specifying the nature or extent of the jurisdiction. It is scarcely necessary to add that Peter here did not intend to affirm that Judas sustained any office corresponding to what is now commonly understood by the term “bishop.”
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Acts 1:20. For it is written in the book of Psalms — The places usually referred to are Psalms 69:25: Let their habitation be desolate, and let none dwell in their tents. And Psalms 109:8: Let his days be few, and let another take his office, פקדתו pekudato, his overseership, his charge of visitation or superintendence, translated by the SEPTUAGINT, την επισκοπην, VULGATE, episcopatum; and WE, following both, bishopric, but not with sufficient propriety, for surely the office or charge of Judas was widely different from what we call bishopric, the diocess, estate, and emoluments of a bishop. επισκοπος, episcopos, which was corrupted by our Saxon ancestors into [Anglo-Saxon], biscop, and by us into bishop, signifies literally an overseer or superintendent, from επι, over, and σκεπτομαι, I see, a person who had the inspection, overseeing, or superintendence of others. The ancient επισκοποι were persons who had the care of different congregations of the Church of Christ; who travelled, preached, enforced the discipline of the Church, and took care to prevent false doctrines, heresies, c. Those who still deserve this title, and it is an august and noble one, walk by the same rule, and mind the same thing. επισκοπος, episcopus, or bishop, is a scriptural and sacred title was gloriously supported in the primitive Church; and many to the present day are not less ornaments to the title, than the title is ornamental to them. The best defenses of the truth of God, and the Protestant faith, are in the works of the bishops of the British Churches.
The words quoted from the Psalms were originally spoken against the enemies of David; and as David, in certain particulars, was a type of Christ, the words are applied to him in an especial manner who had sinned against his own soul and the life of his Master.
